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Remarks as Prepared for Delivery TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Good morning President Gardiner, Speaker Crisafulli and distinguished members of the Florida Legislature. Welcome Lt. Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam, Chief Justice Labarga and members of the Florida Supreme Court. And I would like to recognize my wonderful wife Ann. We have been married for almost 43 years. I love you Ann. We have been blessed. So now it’s time for another state of the state speech, or as I like to call it – a chance for me to show off my world renowned oratorical skills. It’s...

Construction has shown more robust job growth in Metro Orlando during the past year than any other area of employment, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.One of the region's hardest-hit industries during the housing crash and the Great...

Good news for Lake: The county's unemployment rate continues on its downward trajectory.
The December jobless rate stood at 5.4 percent, which was down from an adjusted rate of 5.9 percent in November and 6.1 percent a year earlier, according to the...

Walgreens announced Monday it will cut 252 jobs in Orlando, about one quarter of the current workforce at its pharmacy fulfillment center for Florida. The cuts come as several other pharmacy centers have added local jobs.
A spokesman for the company said...

The Maitland office of Windstream Communications told 62 people on Thursday they will lose their jobs.
The cuts represent about 23 percent of the 260 total staff at the office.
Layoffs will start in March and be completed by the end of May, according to...

Orange County’s jobless rate fell below five percent for the first time since the Great Recession to 4.9 percent, according to state data released Friday. That is down from 5.3 percent in November.
A rate of five percent or below is considered normal...

The Great Recession is not quite forgotten in Central Florida, but 2015 is all about growth, and the Orlando area is a star in the state forecast for jobs.
The signs are everywhere: cranes along Orange Avenue, continued expansion of Medical City in...

Coexisting with bears
Regarding the Sentinel article "State wildlife officers trap three bears in state Rep. Scott Plakon's yard" on Jan. 6:
Our community of almost 100 homes in northwest Seminole County has been living with bears for more...

If you're among the tens of thousands of Central Florida workers planning to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit this year, there's good news: It will be both easier to qualify and more generous in how much money you get back.
The EITC, a federal...

With its stock price suffering and attendance dropping, SeaWorld announced Thursday that CEO and President Jim Atchison is stepping down and it is laying off employees.
A company spokesman would not say whether the board asked for Atchison's resignation....

Friday’s release of state employment numbers showed that the Orlando area has added more jobs in the past 12 months – 46,000 – than other Florida metros.
In fact, Gov. Rick Scott chose a Maitland-based tech company, Viewpost, as the scene of his...

If you work or are planning to work in health or technology, you're in luck.
Those two fields dominated U.S. News & World Report's list of best jobs for 2015, which they compiled based on projected job openings, salary, job satisfaction, unemployment...

Here's some good news at Christmastime: Lake County's jobless rate continues to move in the right direction.
Down.
The November rate fell to 5.8 percent from an adjusted rate in October of 6.1 percent, according to figures released today by the state...

The state’s unemployment rate dipped once again in November, hitting a number it hasn’t seen in more than six years.
State officials said Friday that Florida’s unemployment rate improved to 5.8 percent, matching the rate of unemployment in May 2008.
...

Generally speaking, Floridians are pretty stressed out.
As I told you before, Florida is actually the most stressed out state in the country thanks mostly to the high unemployment rate and percent of people who don't have health insurance.
Real estate...

Two private companies have filed layoff notices with the state regarding a total of 347 jobs to be cut at Patrick Air Force Base between now and March. The base is just south of Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral, about one hour east of Orlando.
L-3...

As Mayor Kenneth Bradley noted, there’s an old saying in politics: never say never. He’s keeping that in mind as he considers his future – but most likely, he added, it won’t be in the near future.
“I have certainly enjoyed public service,” he said....

As Winter Park ‘s government begins looking at new residential apartment projects, City Commissioner Carolyn Cooper is hoping that the discussion eventually spurs a large debate – and not just in Winter Park – about whether the Orlando area is getting...

More people in Lake County are finding work — just in time for the holidays.
The October unemployment rate dropped to 6 percent, from an adjusted 6.3 percent in September, according to new state figures. That's steady improvement since August, when the...

Why did Democrats lose big on election night? It's simple: They spent too much time running from President Obama's record, when they should have been running on it.
According to October's factcheck.org, millions of previously uninsured Americans gained...